The Funniest Stand Up Comedians of All Time

List Rules Stand up comedians only. Must have done actual stand-up, not just film or TV.

Comedian Heather McDonald Reveals Her Top 5 Favorite Standups of All Time

A ranked list of the best stand up comedians in the history of the art form. First and foremost, all of the people on this list are funny comedians. But beyond that, this is a diverse list of people with different styles who approach different types of subject matter. These are the cream of the crop: they are the top comedians in the game, and many thousands of people agree. Many of the popular comedians listed below worked their way up through the stand up circuit and eventually landed a show on Comedy Central, while others started their own web series and put their best stand up out into the world that way. The funniest comedians can come from any type of background, obviously there are insanely talented black, Asian, Latino and white comedians (and everything in between.)

Being a good stand-up comic is tough, and whether they're an observationist, an orator, an absurdist, blue collar, or alternative, all of the funny comedians on this list are unique, hardworking, and hilarious. Many of the best comedians of all time got their start as stand-up comedians and then progressed to star in their own films or TV series. It takes a certain skill set and ability to connect with people to excel at stand-up comedy, and we feel that these are the ones that shine.

This list is made of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians and then some. The top comedians are always changing. Feel free to add your votes to this Crowd-Ranked list of the greatest stand ups of all time, or make your own contributing list and give your voice more weight in the calculations.